I want to be an author!!!

[serega kobrin]

Having said that I've not heard of the websites you left as links. Are they safe?

I absolutely don't care about those sites. In the world, billions of billions of sites you did not hear. So what? As for the virus-infection, it is not a flu or AIDS virus, there is a universal remedy - Format C: , but you have to save all your data constantly.
If I say that this site is probably contaminated, you won't visit it? No one definitly sure that his comp is free of viruses. Just try different antivirus software and you get what I mean.
P.S. My firewall and antivirus soft gave no alert, but it does not mean that it is 100% true.

[serega kobrin]

If you want help and advice, start with these sites. They all have forums on writing:

Book & Reader Forums - Powered by vBulletin
UKAuthors - Online Creative Writing and Poetry Community.
Literary Forums

I laughed until my cries, when I tried to find a publisher on the links you left here.
90% of information a fly for a gudgeon.
Quot. (Experience and dedication. Our leadership team has more than 75 years of combined experience in the publishing industry.
Affordable publishing packages. Starting at just $599!)
Publish Your Book Today with iUniverse

[Anglika]

I laughed until my cries, when I tried to find a publisher on the links you left here.
90% of information a fly for a gudgeon.
Quot. (Experience and dedication. Our leadership team has more than 75 years of combined experience in the publishing industry.
Affordable publishing packages. Starting at just $599!)
Publish Your Book Today with iUniverse

My experience of web-based publishing services is that most are money-spinners for their owners and do not provide true editorial and publishing support. Anyone can publish anything.

The original poster is seeking help and advice. All the sites I suggested are places where people who write and are interested in improving their writing can share their experiences. They are not advisory services about publishers.

If you want to find a publisher in the UK, this is the place to start: Writers' and Artists' Yearbook

American publishers can be tracked here: Association of American Publishers - Homepage

Russian publishers here: çÉÌØÄÉÑ ÉÚÄÁÔÅÌÅÊ ÐÅÒÉÏÄÉÞÅÓËÏÊ ÐÅÞÁÔÉ

[RonBee]

Sarah B, if you will post something in the Writing section I will comment on it. I have to warn you though. I am not in the habit of being nice just to be nice. If I don't think the writing is any good I will say so.

(I told someone recently that I didn't think he was ready to write essays in English. He didn't like it, but it was my honest opinion.)

[stuartnz]

I am not in the habit of being nice just to be nice. If I don't think the writing is any good I will say so.

(I told someone recently that I didn't think he was ready to write essays in English. He didn't like it, but it was my honest opinion.)

This sort of candour is what I want from anyone teaching me, else how would I learn? If my writing has an odour of fecal matter, I want my teacher to say, "this is ****" not, "this could facilitate the growth of plants if applied to your garden."

[banderas]

As for the virus-infection, it is not a flu or AIDS virus, there is a universal remedy - Format C: , but you have to save all your data constantly.

I does not always help, trust me on this. I mean, the reinstallation of the system is not likely to remove a virus. The thing is that some viruses affect the Master Boot Record (pre OS boot) and they are difficult to remove, as they are instantly reloaded to memory even with a format.
But this is off topic, I know. Just to let you know.

[banderas]

Sarah B, if you will post something in the Writing section I will comment on it. I have to warn you though. I am not in the habit of being nice just to be nice. If I don't think the writing is any good I will say so.

(I told someone recently that I didn't think he was ready to write essays in English. He didn't like it, but it was my honest opinion.)

I am willing to take critic, RonBee.
And would be delighted if someone took a look at my essey posted tonight.

[stuartnz]

I does not always help, trust me on this. I mean, the reinstallation of the system is not likely to remove a virus. The thing is that some viruses affect the Master Boot Record (pre OS boot) and they are difficult to remove, as they are instantly reloaded to memory even with a format.
But this is off topic, I know. Just to let you know.

That what the /mbr parameter is for in the format syntax.

[RonBee]

This sort of candour is what I want from anyone teaching me, else how would I learn? If my writing has an odour of fecal matter, I want my teacher to say, "this is ****" not, "this could facilitate the growth of plants if applied to your garden."

Well, I am neither that rude nor that clever. I did once say to somebody that her college admissions letter was really bad. She didn't like it, but my opinion didn't do her any real harm. Better to hear that sort of opinion from a stranger online than from the college admissions people themselves (when it will really matter). If you only listen to the opinions that already agree with what you think about your writing ("It's wonderful") it's not likely that you will ever improve. It is true that some people will ask for opinions but what they really want is praise - however insincere. However, if someone says "You need to rewrite that" (as I have done a few times) it is probably worth it to consider doing so.

[Ouisch]

I have had four non-fiction books published (I specialize in trivia). My advice is as follows:

Get a copy of Writer's Market (or the equivalent book in your country) and read the section carefully about getting a fiction book published. In order to submit it to a publisher, you're going to have to write a proposal first; then any interested publisher will request that you submit the first few chapters. Perhaps you could try writing a few short stories first and submit them to magazines (Writer's Market also has lists of all periodicals that accept unsolicited material, along with the "how to" information on submitting your stories.)

I also work as an editor, and I've seen material written by Ivy League school graduates that are filled with grammatical errors and yet still get published. So whether your writing is "good" will depend upon who is reading it. Some mediocre material gets published, while great literature gets ignored. The publishing business is just that, a business, so they're looking for stories that don't necessarily have to be good, but stories that they think will sell a lot of books.

In the meantime, you might consider joining an online forum for fiction writers where you can post your own stories and have them critiqued, and also read stories submitted by other members.

Good luck!